Mischief Managed
by 0WolfMoon0
Summary: Written for Round 2 of the Quidditch League Fanfiction competition! Time goes on, and people change. Perhaps one man wasn't just a teacher going to make him clean out the Grindylow tanks. Perhaps one boy's pranks left a teacher smiling more than he initially let on. After all, stranger friendships have occurred than one between a former teacher and his student. PLATONIC NO ROMANCE


**A/N Hello and welcome to another one-shot. This was written for the Quidditch League Fanfic Challenge forum. I'm the Keeper of the Kenmare Kestrals, and for this round (the second) I had to write a 100% platonic fanfiction! Friendship over the generations was my prompt. Enjoy and R&amp;R!**

_Fifth Year_

Fred sheepishly walked into the office of this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lupin. He was thankful that the professor was actually able to teach well for his OWL year. Last year's fiasco with Professor Lockhart taught him exactly nothing and, contrary to popular belief, Fred actually wanted to at least pass most of his OWLs.

Professor Lupin looked up from the paper he was looking at on his desk. The professor was grinning as he read the paper and tapped it with his wand. Fred desperately wanted to see what it was. Maybe it was like the map he and George had found and given to Harry. Brilliant.

"Ah, you're here. Please, take a seat," said Professor Lupin calmly, gesturing to the seat across from his desk.

Taking the seat, Fred got out a quill and a sponge. "What'll it be this time, professor?" he asked smugly. This was his twenty second detention so far that year, though his first with this professor. _Nearly March and we've only been caught fifteen times, _Fred thought with a smirk. Somewhere around the fifth detention, some professor got the great idea to split up the twins for their detentions. However, there were only so many teachers willing to take them, and George was stuck with Filch that night.

To Fred's surprise, Professor Lupin hid a small smile and shook his head. He then passed a stack of papers to Fred. The boy groaned, his mind immediately jumping to the stack of line McGonagall had given him in his last detention. However, upon looking at the papers Fred saw that they were already all written on in the large, scrawling script of eleven year olds. Fred looked at the professor quizzically.

"You, my boy, are going to grade the first year essays on the differences between a hex and a jinx," Professor Lupin said with a smirk, tucking away the paper he'd been tapping before and picking up his own stack of essays. "Once you're done with that stack, there's more. I'll be here if you can't read the handwriting, though I have my own stack to correct for my sixth year class."

Fred stared at the professor in disbelief. "That's it?" he asked, almost shouting for joy. "No... no scrubbing Grindylow tanks? No writing "I must not put live Grindylows in the prefect bathroom? Just... correcting papers?"

The professor rolled his eyes and looked at the boy over the essay he'd picked up. "I would have you clean the tanks, but at the moment they're full of live Grindylows." The two both laughed, before getting to work on the essays.

Once Fred left, Professor Lupin checked the essays he had graded. The marks were fair and the papers were annotated with notes the fifth year boy had made on corrections and suggestions. Lupin smiled. Yes, he'd have to have the boy back to correct as detention again. He picked up the paper he had been tapping earlier, resuming his tapping and seeing the messages left by his long dead and imprisoned friends. He missed them dearly, and seeing the Weasley twins' pranks reminded him of himself.

Peeking around the corner, unnoticed by the professor, Fred was testing his new invention: extendable ears. He could hear Lupin talking familiarly with the silence. Fred didn't make the connection, thinking the professor was truly just crazy, until Lupin chucked something that sounded like "Padfoot." Fred grinned. The professor must have known the Marauders. He'd have to go interrogate him some other time. At that moment he had to meet up with George to test out their newest version of the dungbomb.

_Seventh Year_

Fred was sitting with George in the Gryffindor Common Room, both lamenting the Umbitch's increased reign with the absence of Dumbledore. However, they snapped to attention when the fireplace before them flashed green and the face of their friend and favourite ex-professor appeared.

"'Ello boys," he said with a smile. "Bit late to still be up, isn't it?"

Fred scoffed. "And yet you're calling."

"What's the news?" asked George hurriedly. Both boys knew they had to be quick or the Umbitch would notice Lupin's presence.

"Dumbledore has agreed to allow you into the Order once you've graduated. Or at least once you're out of Hogwarts," Lupin said. "Exams are soon, then you'll be home free."

"About the exams..." started Fred.

"Your mother will kill you if you don't take your exams," Lupin deadpanned.

"We have enough money and product to open our shop. Her anger will be short-lived," Fred deadpanned back. George laughed.

"Who knew Lupin was still a goody two-shoes professor," George added.

Lupin rolled his eyes. "I'll have you boys know that I kept all of my friends out of detention as much as possible, and while they were intelligent, they only got their NEWT scores because I forced them to attend the exams." The twins gave Lupin a look that told him they were skeptical.

"Right..." said Fred. "Because I'm sure you and Sirius got into SO much trouble with Harry's dad."

Lupin looked almost sad, then his face lit up with memory. "If it weren't for me, they would have flown out of the school on broomsticks after lighting up the Great Hall with fireworks on exam day."

George and Fred looked at each other, matching cheshire grins on their faces. If Lupin had been there, rather than just a head in the floo, they would have seen him facepalm. As it was, they heard him mumble, "I should not have said that."

_Potterwatch Headquarters_

"Romulus, why did you want to set tonight's magic word?" Fred asked the older man while his brother prepared their segment.

Lupin shrugged. "Figured it was my turn to think of something."

Fred gave him a disbelieving look. "Are you sure you didn't just want to set it to something like James? You've been awfully sentimental since your wife got pregnant." Lupin shrugged.

"Good show tonight then, Rodent," Lupin said with a smile. Fred groaned.

"It's RAPIER! Not rodent, you bloody dog!" Fred jokingly hit Lupin, who jokingly nudged him with his shoulder.

"RODENT! Our segment is about to start!" George yelled across the compound.

"Shut UP! It's RAPIER!" Fred yelled back. Slapping Lupin on the back, both made their ways to their respective seats for the show to continue to their segments.

_Before the Battle of Hogwarts_

Remus walked up to Fred and George, grasping both of their hands. "Be safe, both of you."

The twins grasped his hands right back, both looking into the eyes of their professor-turned-friend.

"You just make sure you come home to Tonks, yeah?" Fred replied. Remus gave an exasperated sigh.

"I just hope she listens for once and stays with her mother. I want her safe," Remus replied. George patted the man's back, a dim grin on his face.

"When does she ever listen to anyone?" George asked. Remus gave a weak smile, but Fred saw the man grow paler.

"Remus, Tonks is an auror. If anyone can hold her own, its her," Fred reassured, giving a slight frown to his brother. George shrugged and walked over to Ron, who was whispering with Hermione in a way that made both twins want to gag.

Remus shook his head, trying to believe his friend. Then he heard the sound of the portrait opening made his heart drop. Further away, he knew Molly was fighting Ginny over staying at Hogwarts during the fighting, but he still heard the argument. Turning around, he saw his wife running toward him.

Fred clapped him on the back before he rushed to meet her, saying, "See you on the flip side. We'll get through this, Remus. I expect to see Teddy buying his first baby pranking kit next week when the shop WILL reopen!"

Turning to look at his friend, Remus nodded solemnly before running to his wife.

_Afterlife_

"Moony, I told you, it typically takes a while to wake up," Fred heard a voice saying. The name the voice used was familiar to him, the name from the map he and George had found.

George. Where was George? Better question, where was he?

"You're certain that he'll be alright, James? Sirius? I woke fairly quickly," Fred heard Remus say. The voice of Sirius Black barked out a laugh.

"Only reason you're up so quickly is because of Harry and that fairy tale stone, Moony my friend," Sirius said. Fred could practically feel Remus rolling his eyes.

"Must you insist on using those childish nicknames? Both of you?" Remus asked, humour in his voice. Fred cracked open his eyes to see Sirius and a man who looked like Harry exchanging a look and a grin. Behind the men, Tonks was talking to a woman with hair so red she wouldn't feel out of place at a Weasley family reunion. They were in a bright clearing in a relatively young woods, though it looked like it spread for miles, endlessly.

"Yes," they replied in unison. It made Fred laugh, until he realised two things. He had to clarify. Sitting up, he turned to Remus.

"Am I... Are we dead?" he asked tentatively. Remus turned quickly from the other men, noticing Fred's waking.

"Welcome to the club," said Sirius humorlessly. "Damn, I didn't want to see either of you here for a long time."

Remus nodded solemnly. Fred stood shakily. He already missed his brother, his family, his friends. Fate was a bitch... Now he would never see the shop reopened, see his brother's wedding, the birth of his family's kids. Absorbed in shock, he didn't notice the women had joined them until he felt arms wrap around him. Looking up, the red haired woman was hugging him.

"It's a lot to take in, but it'll be alright," she said soothingly. "It's hard, being ripped from your family, but fate has a way of forcing itself upon us."

The man who looked like Harry put his arm around the red haired woman. Fred realised these must be Harry's parents. He should have recognised them from the Order picture in the DA room. "Thank you for looking out for our son," the man, James Potter, said. "Let us return the favor."

Tears lept to Fred's eyes. However, his mind was already accepting it. He knew his family was in pain, and he wished he was there with them, but this was his fate. He had to accept it. Remus walked over to him and clasped his hand, bringing Fred's second realisation to mind.

"Second question! Did they just call you Moony?!" Fred exclaimed. The three men laughed loudly and the red haired woman, Lily Potter, shook her head amusedly.

"I'm surprised Remus never told you," Lily said. "You did pull off many of the pranks they would have loved to do."

"Oh yeah, I was watching when you set off those fireworks during the OWL exam! Absolutely brilliant!" exclaimed James with a broad grin. Sirius roared with laughter.

"The look on Molly's face when you showed up at the doorstep!" he added. "Priceless!"

In all of his sorrow, a giant grin broke out on Fred's face. "All this time, you've been a marauder!" he shouted at Lupin. "Yet you never told me? This is kind of incredible! Filch once had George and me alphabetize your files by prank! Amazing!"

"Yes, but we never invented new pranking methods. That swamp was amazing!" said James. The redhead grinned at the praise.

Time was irrelevant in the afterlife; they had all the time in the world. The four men and two women sat around the woods they were in, sun constantly shining, passing praise back and forth about pranks.

Remus turned to Fred after the others had fallen asleep on the grass. "Doing alright, Fred?" Remus asked the younger man. Fred shrugged.

"It's a lot to adjust to, but I don't think this is hell. Wish I could go back, yes. This is reality though... life goes on, right?" Fred replied quietly. "Mum's probably hurting... George too... and everyone else... and your son... he'll never know you... either of you..."

Putting a hand on Fred's shoulder, Remus gave him a small and empathetic frown. "They know that we died for the greater good and for what we believe in. Our lives were not given in vain."

Fred grew content. The older man's words calmed him. He smiled at his friend, a joke in his eyes. "Mischief managed then, _Moony_?"

Remus rolled his eyes. "Mischief managed, _Giggles_," he replied with a large smile. Fred hit his arm jokingly and laid back on the grass laughing.

"Giggles? Really?" Fred rolled around in laughter. It was a shock the others were not woken.

"I saw your patronus, Giggles," Remus replied, his own laugh joining Fred's. "A hyena, always laughing. Couldn't suit you better. Plus, you need your own embarrassing nickname to match the rest of us marauders."

Fred's eyebrows shot to his hairline. "I thought there was one more of the marauders? Wormtail, right?"

Remus' face dropped into a scowl. "He chose to leave us, after school ended." His smile came back as he looked at his friend. "I think I speak for all of us when I say you're welcome to enjoy this life with us as long as you so choose."

"I think I will, Remus," Fred replied, a smile on his face. Even though he was far away from everyone he loved, and he knew that he would likely not see them for a long time, he also was aware that the people here would be with him, and he would not have to be alone.

They were sad, they were missing those they loved on earth, but they had the marauders. Moony, Padfoot, Prongs, and Giggles, together pranking for eternity. Over time, they would be joined by generations of pranksters, including Fred's own brother. But none changed. And their souls never grew old.


End file.
